Travel Guide to Practices of Modern Chinese Families

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Travel Guide to Practices of Modern Chinese
Families

• Ancestor Veneration
• Birth Ceremonies
• Names
• Homes
• Family Structure
• Weddings
• Death and Mourning

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Ancestor Veneration

• You are at a cemetery near Beijing watching
  members of a Chinese family, who are gathered
  around the tombstone of their parents. You
  notice that they have cleaned the stone and are
  repainting the names engraved on it in red paint.

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• The honoring of deceased family members is
  an important part of Chinese life. Every April
  5, families observe Tomb-Sweeping Day. On this
  day, family members go to the graves of their
  ancestors early in the morning. They sweep the
  graves free of dirt, and place offerings of food
  and wine in front of the tombs. Family members
  paint over the names on the tombstones with red
  paint for good luck. The Chinese believe the
  deceased will curse or help their descendents
  based on how well they have been honored.

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Birth Ceremonies

• You are standing in front of an egg vendor at
  a market stall in northwestern China. As you
  approach the vendor, you notice that the boiled
  eggs he is selling are colored red.

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• Traditionally, the birth of a child is a joyous
  event in China. Many parents announce the
  childs arrival by placing a marker on the front
  door. If the child is a boy, they put a bow on
  the left side of the door. If it is a girl, they
  place a handkerchief on the right side.

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• When the child is one month old, the naming
  ceremony takes place. The Chinese wait a month
  because in olden times many children died before
  they were a month old. Parents send red eggs to
  relatives and friends to announce the birth and
  upcoming celebration.

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Names

• You are in a hospital in eastern China looking
  at newborn babies. You have been told that the
  tags attached to the babies blankets contain
  vital information, such as their gender, weight,
  and the names of their mothers.

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• Chinese names differ from Western names in many
  ways. Chinese surnames, or last names, come
  before first, or given names. For example, if a
  persons given name is Mei-ling, and her surname
  is Li, people would call her
• Li Mei-ling.

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• All Chinese given names have a specific meaning.
  The meaning might relate to the place of birth,
  the name of a relative or friend, or a desirable
  characteristic. For instance, girls names are
  often based on flowers or beautiful objects.
  Boys names often indicate strength or courage.

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Homes

• You are in a rural area in central China looking
  at the exterior of a traditional Chinese home.

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• The design of traditional Chinese homes reflects
  the idea that the family exists as one unit.
  Rather than facing outward towards the
  neighborhood, Chinese homes face inward and are
  often surrounded by walls that allow only the
  rooftops to be visible from the outside.

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• Entering a home involves passing through a gate,
  stepping over a raised threshold, and usually
  walking around a screen. The raised threshold is
  a one foot high barrier that prevents water, mud,
  and debris from entering the home, but it serves
  another purpose as well keeping out ghosts and
  evil spirits!

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• Many Chinese believe that ghosts hover a few
  inches above the ground and move in a straight
  line, unable to move up or down, or turn right or
  left. It is believed that any unwanted spirits
  that pass through the gate are prevented from
  entering the house by the raised threshold, which
  is too high for them to cross.

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Family Structure

• You are in northern China watching members of a
  family pose for a photograph. As you watch the
  photographer snap the picture, you notice that
  the family has members from three generations.

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• The traditional Chinese family is composed of
  three generations an elderly couple
  (grandparents) adult sons, their wives, and
  unmarried daughters and the children of the
  sons. Elder members are greatly respected in
  Chinese families because they carry the wisdom of
  the past.

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Filial Piety

• You have encountered a boy assisting an elderly
  woman down a dirt path located in southern China.
  You are impressed with how the boy holds the
  womans arm so she doesnt fall.

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• Filial piety- devotion to and respect for ones
  elders- is the most important of all Chinese
  virtues. Children must obey, please, and support
  their parents when they are alive, and are
  expected to mourn and honor, or venerate them
  after their death. In Chinese society, filial
  piety extends beyond respect for ones parents to
  respect for elders in general.

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Weddings

• You are in the city of Shanghai on the east
  coast of China watching a young bride prepare for
  her wedding. You notice that she is surrounded
  by her family members and that one of them is
  adjusting her veil.

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• Until the mid 1900s, Chinese parents usually
  arranged their childrens marriages. Brides and
  grooms did not even meet until just before the
  wedding. Today, most Chinese choose their own
  spouses. However, parents still play an
  important part in bringing couples together. If
  the couple becomes engaged, parents may consult
  an astrologer to determine a favorable wedding
  date and time.

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• On the wedding day, the groom goes to the
  brides house, where the couple eats a farewell
  meal with the brides family. The couple then go
  to the grooms house, where they are married.
  The bride traditionally wears a red dress and a
  red silk veil. After the wedding, the family
  holds a banquet.

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Death and Mourning

• You are standing on a road in southern China,
  watching a funeral procession make its way
  towards you. Looking more closely at the
  mourners, you notice that some of the are walking
  slowly backward, away from the coffin.

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• Chinese families conduct elaborate ceremonies to
  honor their dead relatives. On the day of the
  funeral, the family dresses in white, the
  traditional color of mourning. Several men pull
  or carry the coffin in a long procession to the
  burial site. Sometimes the mourners walk
  backward in front of the coffin to show their
  grief.

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• Following the funeral, there is a mourning
  period that lasts seven weeks. At the end of
  this period, family members burn various items
  made of paper, including money, cars, clothes,
  and houses. They believe that the deceased might
  need these items in the next life. After the
  mourning period is over, families continue to
  hold regular ceremonies to honor their ancestors.

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• Traditionally, Chinese families have valued boys
  more highly than girls. This is partly due to
  the fact that girls left the family when they got
  married. Boys carry on the family name, add to
  the familys wealth, and conduct ceremonies to
  honor the familys ancestors.

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We hope you enjoyed your trip!